


Farewell, My Friend

by ProPinkist



Category: Akatsuki no Yona | Yona of the Dawn
Genre: Angst, Family, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, I'm so sorry for this, vaguely implied post 100+ spoilers?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-14
Updated: 2015-10-14
Packaged: 2018-04-26 10:36:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,476
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5001451
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ProPinkist/pseuds/ProPinkist
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Shin-ah loses him again... but this time, he doesn't have to go through it alone.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Farewell, My Friend

**Author's Note:**

> So this was the last of my pre-written fics that I totally forgot I hadn't put up yet, ehehe. ...I'm so sorry for this; I suddenly thought of the idea one morning, and now I can't stop thinking about it when I read the manga. :(

“Come in, Shin-ah!” Yona called in response to the soft knock on her door.

 

After living with her friends in the palace for a few years now, Yona had become able to identify how everyone knocked, for the most part. If it was firmer, it was either Hak, Jae-ha, or Yoon. Zeno knocked the most quickly. And if it was soft and slow, it was either Kija or Shin-ah. The latter had the lightest knock of all, though, so she was always able to identify him with one hundred percent certainty.

 

She smiled and looked up to see the Blue Dragon enter her room slowly, shutting the door to her office softly behind her. It wasn’t until he got closer, however, that Yona realized that something was wrong. Shin-ah’s movements were slightly disoriented, as if his brain was in a fog. His beautiful, golden eyes were also puffy and red.

 

It looked as if he’d been crying.

 

“...Shin-ah?” Yona said worriedly, getting up from her desk and coming around to meet him. She put her hands on his arms gently and looked up at him, his eyes no longer being a danger to any of his friends anymore.

 

He met her eyes, and only then seemed to realize she was there. “...Y-Yona...” he said hoarsely, his voice sounding as quiet and thin as it did back when they had first gone on their journey. “It... It’s Ao, h-he’s... he’s...” Shin-ah trailed off, seeming to not have the will to continue.

 

Yona’s heart dropped to her stomach. “...What’s wrong with Ao?” she asked, trying not to sound frantic but already suspecting what his answer would be.

 

After an eternity, Shin-ah replied in a whisper. “...dead. He’s... dead.”

 

She began to cry, her fears being confirmed. “ _Oh..._ _Shin-ah_...” she whispered, pulling him into a hug. After a moment, she felt his arms wrap around her, and could hear the faint sound of him crying too. “I’m so sorry, Shin-ah... I know how important he was to you, how much you loved him. He became important to us too, while we were traveling together.” Indeed, the little squirrel had been a source of comfort for everyone at some point back then. Whenever one of them had been injured or fallen ill, Ao was always there, acorns at the ready. It seemed silly when you said it out loud, especially since no one would ever eat acorns... but just having him there was soothing. You would never get lonely with the energetic little creature running around on you, and his adorable squeaks of “P’kyuu!”

 

“H-He was... all I had left... if I couldn’t keep a-anything else, then at least I could keep his n-name... b-but now that’s gone... too... Nothing left of him... nothing left... to... remember...”

 

Yona didn’t understand what Shin-ah was talking about, but she didn’t question him. She simply hugged him tighter, letting Shin-ah cry on her shoulder.

 

“...Shin-ah” Yona murmured after a few moments. “...If you want, we could help you find the perfect place for him. A nice, beautiful spot right outside the palace. Would you like that?” She paused for a moment, then added “...You can say no. I understand if this is something personal you wish to do yourself.”

 

She heard his breath hitch. “...No... I would like that, Yona. Please... do it... for him.”

 

* * *

 

That afternoon, all seven of them were gathered outside in a nice, sunny spot of the yard. They watched mournfully as Shin-ah dug a little hole in the grass, slowly and purposefully. When he was done, he gently lowered the small bundle of fur into it, petting Ao with his finger one last time before letting go of him. His hands began to tremble as he started to cover up the hole again, and Yona wordlessly bent down to help him.

 

Even though he didn’t say anything outright, Yona knew that Hak had been a little miffed about coming to this. Yoon, as well. But she knew it wasn’t because they didn’t care; they were just uncomfortable about witnessing such an emotional event. She and the other three dragons, however, empathized with Shin-ah completely. They knew what it was like to lose someone so very precious to them.

 

She knew how ridiculous it seemed on the outside: a funeral for a squirrel. _But Ao wasn’t just any squirrel_ , she thought again, as she had that morning. _He was cute, and funny, and his comforting presence was always there. A little companion that was always on our shoulder, or trying to feed us when we were sick or in pain. Everyone loved him, even if we didn’t actively think about it. Ao made it through our entire journey from the moment Shin-ah joined us; he made it through every battle, every hardship. Despite how small he was, he made it through all of it._ She began to cry, missing the little furry creature already.

 

Once they were done, Shin-ah gingerly laid down some flowers he had brought along on top of the grave. He stood up weakly, Yona supporting him, and she led him off to the side a ways to make room for Zeno to come forward. He put his hands together and closed his eyes, praying.

 

“May the little one’s soul pass on to the Heavens peacefully, where the gods will welcome him with open arms. He lived a long, happy life as the sole companion and friend of Shin-ah for many years, and then as a friend to all of us. He won’t be forgotten... be at peace, Ao.”

 

Something inside of Shin-ah seemed to snap once Zeno said Ao’s name, and suddenly he was sobbing, his legs not able to hold his weight anymore as he sunk to the ground. Yona’s heart broke at the sight, and she embraced him again, the others following. They all held the Blue Dragon tightly as he cried harder than they had ever seen him cry before, knowing there was nothing else they could do to help his heartache. From her position in the mass hug, Yona could see Zeno’s face, and at the sight of his tears, she suddenly felt a sharp ache of her own that was different than the one she felt for Shin-ah. _He’s... done this before... in an even more terrible situation._

“I-It’s happened a-again... why... a-again... _why_?!” Shin-ah sobbed, seeming to barely have any energy left.

 

Again, Yona was confused, but Zeno seemed to understand.

 

_“Shh.. It’s okay... it’s okay..._ ” he murmured, stroking Shin-ah’s hair softly. “Ao didn’t want to hurt you this way... but he was happy to know that you were going to be okay now. Now that you have us, who love you like he did. I know he’s happy for you, and proud of you... and that _he_ would be too.”

 

“...I remember how he stayed with us after we fell ill in Kalgan’s village,” Kija said after a moment, smiling a little. “It made me feel a little better to have him there, squeaking away.”

 

“...Yeah,” Jae-ha agreed nostalgically. “...This was quite a while ago, but I remember when Yona and I were hunting down information about Kumji in Awa, and we stumbled across a girl pretending to be a man, Ao got ahold of her fake mustache and put it on. It was great.” He laughed a little.

 

“Oh yes, I remember that too, now that you mention it,” Yona chuckled. “...Actually, if it hadn’t been for Ao, I never would have found you in those caves, Shin-ah. So it’s thanks to him.” She smiled fondly at the memory of holding the adorable creature for the first time happily.

 

“His ability to stock up on all those acorns was always amazing to me,” Yoon said, sounding impressed. “Even if we couldn’t eat them, it was nice when he offered us one. It was his own way of showing he was worried about us.”

 

“...He made Princess Yona happy on more than one occasion during that... difficult time for her, so I’m grateful to him,” Hak muttered, blushing furiously. Yona smiled at him, trying not to giggle. _It’s a compliment in his own, Hak way._

“...Thank you... everyone,” Shin-ah said, his voice still full of emotion. He slowly but gently pulled away from the hug, standing up and looking down at the grave again.

 

“...Thanks, Ao, for being with me all this time. ...I’ll miss you.” Eyes shining, he moved his gaze to stare up at the sky.

 

“And... thank you as well... I hope he’s up there with you now... keeping you company instead of me from now on.” He closed his eyes, smiling, and reached his arms out like he had done the night Yona had named him.

 

For a moment, Yona thought she saw someone behind Shin-ah, but a split second later, they were gone.

**Author's Note:**

> I know Ao is actually female, but for the purpose of the whole "overly sappy symbolic connection", I made her male here.


End file.
